In Genesis 35:2, Jacob told his household: “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; and let us arise and go to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God.” This was like “revival time” in the household of Jacob: he responds to God’s call to worship Him, and leads his family to purify themselves from their attachment to false gods, and to rededicate themselves to worship the one true God alone. It is significant that this call for revival in his home came from the head of the household: Jacob himself issued the challenge to his family.

We need the same kind of revival in our homes today. Like Jacob’s family, many of us need to put away ungodly things; to purify ourselves from those influences which are polluting our homes (ungodly movies, tv shows, and music) and to recommit ourselves to worship God with renewed vigor. And just like it was the head of the household, Jacob, who led his family to recommit themselves to the Lord, we need the leaders of our homes today — our husbands and fathers — to lead the way if it is ever to be revival time in our homes.